"Love Is My Religion"

That song is stuck in my head!!!  “Love Is My Religion” by Ziggy Marley.  So simple yet so meaningful.  As I was driving home from teaching yoga, I started thinking about my own journey with religion and spirituality.  I was reminded of my first yoga instructor and his peaceful demeanor.  I never really knew what his religious and/or spiritual beliefs were but I knew he followed an enlightened path.  Today I believe it was a reflection of his yoga practice.  Not just the physical practice of yoga (asana) but all aspects or limbs of yoga.  

I’ve been asked more than once if yoga is a religion---and the answer is no.  It is a philosophy.  It began in India approximately 5,000 years ago.  A spiritual sage named Patanjali wrote the Yoga Sutras; which is widely regarded as the authoritative text on yoga.  It is a guideline for living a meaningful and purposeful life. The sutras (which means “threads” in Sanskrit) provide a framework for spiritual growth and mastery over the physical and mental body.

Yoga is a mind, body, and spirit practice, whether you are or are not religious or spiritual, you can practice the wonderful and ancient gift of yoga.